American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Fall 2019
Odds and Ends
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Resources for Teachers of the Visually Impaired
http://www.nbp.org
Contact: 800-548-7323
[email protected]
As you jump into the new school year, National Braille Press has compiled a list of books, products, programs, and other resources especially for teachers of the visually impaired and the students and families they serve. The items listed in the TVI Toolbox section include Just Enough to Know Better by Eileen Curran, a revised primer on Braille that incorporates UEB; Nemeth reference sheets; UEB reference sheets for math; Braille alphabet cards; and a list of Braille transcribers.
TACTILE GRAPHICS
Creative Adaptations for Learning (CAL)
www.cal-s.org
38 Beverly Rd., Great Neck, NY 11021
Contact: Shirley Keller, 516-466-9143
Creative Adaptations for Learning (CAL) creates and produces Braille flashcards, greeting cards, and embossed pictures that bring drawings to life. CAL creates tactile graphics for children who are blind or visually impaired, or those with autism, cognitive delays, and learning disabilities. Books from CAL include Let's Learn Shapes with Shapely CAL and Humpty Dumpty and Other Touching Rhymes.
NEW BOOKS
Pedro and the Octopus
by Deborah Kent
Illustrated by Ann Cunningham
Available from NFB Independence Market
Contact: Ellen Ringlein, 410-659-9314
When his big sister, Lena, warns him that octopuses have lots of sticky arms for catching kids, Pedro isn’t too sure that a family trip to the beach will be fun. Pretty soon, though, he gets caught up in the excitement of walking in the sand with his long white cane, finding shells and stones to put into his pail, and playing in the waves. With its print and Braille text and Ann Cunningham’s captivating illustrations that appeal to both vision and touch, this unique picture book can be enjoyed by blind and sighted readers alike. This TwinVision® book was published by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults.
During a blind child’s lifetime, he will be exposed to tactual representations of art, graphs, charts, stars, and many other elements. The earlier a child has access to tactile drawings and pictures, the better he will understand these concepts and effectively interpret these representations later on in life.
In addition to Pedro and the Octopus, the Action Fund has produced a teaching guide for parents and teachers to help children examine and interpret the differing aspects contained within the pages. This will create greater exploration and discussion around the tactile elements and creative details of this beautiful book. For more information including the teaching guide, visit the Pedro and the Octopus page at https://actionfund.org/pedroandtheoctopus.
Families wishing to apply to receive a free copy of this innovative book can write to the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, or email [email protected].
Getting Visual Assistance with an iPhone
by Judith Dixon
Available in Braille and digital formats from National Braille Press
www.nbp.org
Technology writer Judy Dixon takes the reader on a tour of the ten most user-friendly apps for getting visual assistance with an iPhone. She discusses apps that employ artificial intelligence for identifying colors and currency or reading barcodes and handwritten documents. She also covers getting sighted assistance through apps such as Aira and Be My Eyes. In addition, she briefly discusses the nature of help itself and how there are as many opinions on using sighted assistance as there are individuals.
INFORMATION APPS
Aira
https://aira.io
800-835-1934
Aira Tech Corp is a technology company dedicated to making lives simpler, easier, and more fun. Aira uses the latest technologies to connect people who are blind or have low vision with highly trained professionals who provide visual information on demand. When some extra information can help you save time and be more efficient, open the Aira app and make a call. You'll connect with an Aira agent who can see your surroundings through your phone's camera. All agents must pass robust background checks, sign strict privacy clauses, and undergo rigorous training. In August 2019 Aira announced that the first five minutes of any call will now be free of charge.
Be My Eyes
https://www.bemyeyes.com
Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers for visual assistance through a live video call. Be My Eyes is available in 150 countries, and volunteers can provide assistance in 180 languages.
TapTapSee
https://taptapseeapp.com
TapTapSee is a mobile camera application designed for blind and visually-impaired users. TapTapSee uses your device's camera and Voiceover functions to take a picture of anything and identify it for you out loud. The app can identify any two- or three-dimensional object.
TRAVEL
Blind Travelers' Network
https://blindtravelersnetwork.org
Perhaps you're a blind college student who plans to study abroad, and you'd like to learn more about resources and nonvisual accessibility in your host country. Maybe you're the sighted parent of a blind child, and you want to plan vacation activities that everyone in your family can enjoy. The Blind Travelers' Network (BTN) is here to help you. The blog section contains blogs by several blind and low-vision travelers who have a wealth of knowledge, experience, and advice to share. In the review section, you can read and post reviews of resorts, cruise ships, museums, theme parks, and other places, all written from a nonvisual or low-vision perspective. In the discussion board section you can ask questions of other blind and low-vision travelers. Your journey starts here!
STORIES
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Contact: Patti Chang, [email protected]
Many families participate in the Free Braille Books Program funded by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (AAF). The AAF is reaching out to parents, asking you please to share your stories of how your family has used or benefited from free Braille books. The AAF shares these stories with donors who make this program possible. The strongest stories are those that share a little bit about your child and discuss the impact of the program. The AAF will not use identifying information unless you say it is okay. First names may be used to make the story personal for the donors. Don't worry about literary quality; send the story you want to tell, and the AAF team will polish it up for you. Thank you for your help!
SURVEY
K-12 and Higher Education Survey
https://nfb.org/edtechsurvey
The NFB is gathering information regarding the accessibility of educational technology used in our nation's schools, kindergarten through graduate level. If you are a student, parent, teacher, or administrator who uses screen access software or other accommodations to participate nonvisually in educational programs or services, or if you are the parent, teacher, or administrator of someone who does, please complete this survey once a semester.
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